Written Answers Tuesday 30 September 2008

Scottish Executive

Bees

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its bee health strategy for Scotland.

Richard Lochhead: I am pleased to announce that, following detailed discussion with representative bodies, the draft Honey Bee Health Strategy for Scotland has been issued to interested parties for comment today.

  The strategy seeks to address the challenges facing beekeepers, and provides a plan of action that will sustain the health of honey bees and beekeeping in Scotland for the next decade.

Dentistry

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support can be given to commercial companies to assist in the setting up and provision of NHS dental services.

Shona Robison: The Dentists Act 1984 restricts the business of dentistry to dentists and dental bodies corporate so the question does not arise in relation to commercial companies in general. The position of dental bodies corporate in particular is set out in my answer to S3W-16357 on 30 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Dentistry

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support can be given to dental bodies corporate to assist in the setting up and provision of NHS dental services.

Shona Robison: Currently, only individual general dental practitioners can be listed with NHS boards in order to provide NHS general dental services (GDS) and be eligible for financial support in their own right. Dentists employed by dental bodies corporate can apply individually to join NHS board dental lists in order to provide GDS in an area but the body corporate itself cannot currently join the list. Provisions in the Smoking, Health and Social Care Act 2005 that have yet to be commenced would enable dental bodies corporate also to be listed with NHS boards for the provision of general dental services and therefore access financial support in their own right.

Dentistry

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the provision in the proposed Health Bill to keep GP practices in the NHS will be extended to commercial companies providing NHS dental services.

Shona Robison: No. The Dentists Act 1984 already restricts the business of dentistry to dentists and dental bodies corporate and, at present, only individual general dental practitioners can be listed with NHS boards to provide NHS general dental services. Provisions in the Smoking, Health and Social Care Act 2005 that have yet to be commenced would enable dental bodies corporate also to be listed with NHS boards for the provision of general dental services.

Dentistry

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements are being put in place to enable patients living in the NHS Highland area to access NHS dentists’ patient lists.

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements are being put in place to enable NHS dental patients to receive on-going treatment in the NHS Highland area.

Shona Robison: Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS general dental services in the area rests with NHS Highland.

  The board has already expanded its salaried service and have a number of additional projects planned across Highland for the further expansion of this service. The above will result in the creation of an additional 29 dental surgeries and the registration of a minimum additional 29,000 patients under NHS arrangements.

  In addition, the board is trying to encourage more independent dentists into the area by raising awareness of the grants which are available under the Scottish Dental Access Initiative.

Dentistry

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements are being put in place to enable NHS dental patients living in the NHS Highland area who have recently been given access to an NHS dentist’s patient list to receive first-time treatment.

Shona Robison: NHS Highland has a number of further projects planned across its area to increase access to NHS dental services. We anticipate that by improving capacity this would result in shorter timescales for patients waiting for care and treatment.

Dentistry

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance is planned for patients who have to travel large distances to access NHS dental treatment.

Shona Robison: There are no plans to introduce automatic financial assistance for travel to an NHS general dental practitioner. NHS boards wishing to set up such a scheme can seek guidance from the Scottish Government.

Environment

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for the cleaning of beaches.

Michael Russell: The Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990 places a duty on various bodies to clear litter from their land. For public beaches, the duty body is the relevant council. How local authorities go about fulfilling that duty and what resources they use is entirely up to them, provided they meet the cleanliness standards in the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPLAR).

  A local authority’s duties only extend to the high-water mark and only on public land - although they can require private owners to take appropriate action through declaring a Litter Control Area under the EPA 1990. Below this level, duties are generally reserved, although the Scottish Government has now extended local authority responsibility to areas designated as bathing waters under the Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008 (from 2011).

Environment

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities take on the responsibility for the cleaning of beaches in their area, regardless of whether they have a legal responsibility to do so.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not hold information on local authorities who take on responsibility for the cleaning of beaches in their areas. However, several local authorities are confirmed as cleansing their "Amenity" and "Recreational" beaches, as part of the beach award programmes administered by Keep Scotland Beautiful. These are: Aberdeen; Aberdeenshire; Angus; Argyll and Bute; City of Edinburgh; Dundee; East Lothian; Fife; Highland; North Ayrshire; Scottish Borders; Shetland, and South Ayrshire.

Environment

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to introduce a strategy to improve the cleanliness of beaches.

Michael Russell: In March 2006, Scottish ministers published the strategy, "Better bathing waters: meeting the challenges of the revised Bathing Water Directive in Scotland". This included proposals for tackling litter pollution at designated bathing waters. Designated bathing waters are those beaches most heavily used by the Scottish public.

  Measures proposed in the strategy have since been implemented through the Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008 and through the launch of a grant scheme to fund community support of local designated sites.

Environment

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has in ensuring the cleanliness of beaches.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the water quality standards of the Bathing Water Directive (76/16/EEC) at 80 bathing waters designated by Scottish ministers under the Bathing Waters (Scotland) Regulations 2008 during the Scottish bathing season (1 June to 15 September). SEPA also has a role in terms of monitoring litter and other waste at such sites.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what non-custodial sentence options are available in each sheriffdom.

Kenny MacAskill: Probation orders, community service orders, drug treatment and testing orders and restriction of liberty orders are available to all sheriff courts across all sheriffdoms. In addition, all sheriff courts have access to supervised attendance orders in dealing with those who have defaulted on their fines.

  Justice of the peace (and district) courts are able to impose probation orders and, where an offender has defaulted on a fine, a supervised attendance order.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many community sentences were handed down in each of the last five years, broken down by sheriffdom and type of community sentence.

Kenny MacAskill: The information is given in the following table. People who were tried in the High Court are shown separately.

  People with a Charge Proved Whose Main Penalty was a Community Sentence: Breakdown by Sheriffdom and Type of Community Sentence, 2002-03 to 2006-07

  Main Result of Proceedings

  

 Sheriffdom
 Probation
 Community Service Order
 Supervised Attendance Order1
 Restriction of Liberty Order
 Drug Treatment and Testing Order
 Other Community Sentence
 Total


 2002-03
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Glasgow and Strathkelvin 
 1,610
 805
 8
 24
 175
 0
 2,622


 Grampian, Highland and Islands
 1,213
 711
 9
 116
 98
 0
 2,147


 Lothian and Borders 
 1,426
 970
 0
 42
 14
 0
 2,452


 North Strathclyde 
 1,054
 621
 9
 31
 17
 0
 1,732


 South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway 
 1,641
 943
 4
 369
 0
 0
 2,957


 Tayside, Central and Fife 
 2,430
 1,197
 24
 158
 121
 0
 3,930


 High court 
 64
 32
 0
 3
 3
 0
 102


 Total
 9,438
 5,279
 54
 743
 428
 0
 15,942


 2003-04
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Glasgow and Strathkelvin 
 1,454
 806
 0
 77
 91
 0
 2,428


 Grampian, Highland and Islands
 1,483
 638
 9
 115
 53
 0
 2,298


 Lothian and Borders 
 1,227
 824
 1
 62
 202
 0
 2,316


 North Strathclyde 
 1,098
 735
 0
 25
 135
 0
 1,993


 South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway 
 1,674
 843
 2
 438
 30
 0
 2,987


 Tayside, Central and Fife 
 1,871
 1,013
 26
 329
 182
 0
 3,421


 High court 
 95
 22
 0
 2
 3
 0
 122


 Total
 8,902
 4,881
 38
 1,048
 696
 0
 15,565


 2004-05
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Glasgow and Strathkelvin 
 1,598
 802
 1
 62
 82
 0
 2,545


 Grampian, Highland and Islands
 1,304
 698
 13
 151
 40
 0
 2,206


 Lothian and Borders 
 1,327
 928
 1
 120
 197
 0
 2,573


 North Strathclyde 
 1,092
 805
 9
 70
 152
 0
 2,128


 South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway 
 1,745
 969
 0
 352
 94
 0
 3,160


 Tayside, Central and Fife 
 2,301
 1,203
 19
 557
 218
 0
 4,298


 High court 
 70
 27
 0
 1
 5
 0
 103


 Total
 9,437
 5,432
 43
 1,313
 788
 0
 17,013


 2005-06
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Glasgow and Strathkelvin 
 1,505
 906
 0
 125
 88
 0
 2,624


 Grampian, Highland and Islands
 1,516
 662
 9
 148
 70
 6
 2,411


 Lothian and Borders 
 1,342
 1,040
 2
 143
 269
 0
 2,796


 North Strathclyde 
 1,150
 896
 62
 80
 125
 0
 2,313


 South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway 
 1,676
 1,019
 2
 279
 81
 1
 3,058


 Tayside, Central and Fife 
 2,176
 1,118
 36
 495
 197
 5
 4,027


 High court
 52
 28
 0
 3
 1
 0
 84


 Total2
 9,418
 5,669
 111
 1,273
 831
 12
 17,314


 2006-07
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Glasgow and Strathkelvin 
 1,570
 860
 0
 100
 108
 1
 2,639


 Grampian, Highland and Islands
 1,352
 711
 5
 155
 60
 11
 2,294


 Lothian and Borders 
 1,358
 930
 4
 131
 223
 0
 2,646


 North Strathclyde 
 1,093
 897
 66
 109
 133
 0
 2,298


 South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway 
 1,540
 1,104
 3
 280
 151
 5
 3,083


 Tayside, Central and Fife 
 2,262
 1,274
 44
 533
 251
 6
 4,370


 High court
 33
 11
 0
 1
 0
 0
 45


 Total2
 9,209
 5,787
 122
 1,309
 926
 23
 17,376



  Notes:

  1. Of first instance.

  2. Totals for 2005-06 and 2006-07 contain a small number of cases where the sheriffdom is unknown.

Ministerial Statements

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements exist to ensure that official statements by ministers are free from party political content.

Bruce Crawford: Guidance relating to the conduct of ministers is set out in the Scottish Ministerial Code. The code can be accessed on the Scottish Government website through the following link:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/14944/684.

NHS Hospitals

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to remove the car park charges from the PFI hospital car parks in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee.

Nicola Sturgeon: In advance of detailed discussions between the relevant NHS boards and their PFI providers, it is not possible to provide the likely cost of removing car park charges from those three car parks provided through PFI contracts. It is understood that this may be in the order of tens of millions of pounds.

Regeneration

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the Stranraer regeneration project.

Jim Mather: I am aware that Stena Line’s proposed move from Stranraer to Old House Point is critical to the regeneration of Stranraer and can assure you that Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government will continue to engage closely with the company in respect of its proposed relocation. I understand that the outline timeframe for the development indicates that work on the new terminal could be complete and services operational by mid 2010.

  As the lead responsibility for the redevelopment of Stranraer waterfront lies with Dumfries and Galloway Council, it would be for the council to advise on progress in this regard. However, the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise will be following developments closely and will continue to work with Dumfries and Galloway Council to help exploit the opportunities arising from the regeneration of Stranraer and its wider area.

Regeneration

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding package will be available for the Stranraer regeneration project.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is keen to see the proposed redevelopment of Stranraer waterfront succeed and deliver benefits for the community and the wider region. Lead responsibility for the project lies with the local authority and the funding package is therefore primarily a matter for Dumfries and Galloway Council.

  Scottish Enterprise however remains involved to support aspects of this project where there is a close fit with its remit and priorities. While any assistance that might be considered would be an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise, I am aware that in the past four years its investment to date in the strategic vision of Stranraer and Loch Ryan is some £2.5 million towards site investigations, market research, business planning and contributions towards early action projects including removal of redundant infrastructure, installation of new infrastructure and facilities such as pontoons and a breakwater. I am also aware that Scottish Enterprise is currently giving consideration as to how it might assist Stena Line’s proposed relocation which, as I understand it, is seen locally as integral to the regeneration.

Regeneration

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make the Stranraer regeneration project a national priority.

Jim Mather: The proposed redevelopment of Stranraer waterfront has long been regarded as a local regeneration priority and there are no plans for that to change.

  The Scottish Government does however wish to see the proposal succeed and deliver benefits to the community and the wider region. It will therefore continue to engage with Dumfries and Galloway Council, which has lead responsibility for local regeneration issues, along with Scottish Enterprise and other local partners to help progress this important project.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its renewable energy strategy.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government will set out its plans for the development and deployment of renewables in Scotland in our Renewable Energy Framework consultation in the very near future.

Renewable Energy

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for policing the conditions of approval for the Gordonbush wind farm and what sanctions are available if the conditions are breached.

Jim Mather: The Gordonbush consent granted by Scottish ministers comprises both section 36 conditions and deemed planning conditions. The section 36 conditions are enforced by Scottish ministers. In the event that a breach of a section 36 condition is anticipated or occurs, the Scottish ministers can take action in the courts to prevent or require the discontinuance of the offending activity.

  In the case of planning conditions, Highland Council, as the planning authority has primary responsibility for ensuring compliance. Breaches of these conditions can be considered in accordance with the enforcement powers available under the planning act and procedures highlighted in Scottish Planning Policy Guidance.

  In addition the planning authority or Scottish ministers can look to prevent an actual or apprehended breach of condition, through an application for interdict in the courts.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the costs to it were of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s investigation into the complaint lodged by Iain Fraser on 12 December 2007 against Wendy Alexander MSP and whether it will provide a breakdown of these costs, including the costs of any associated legal advice from solicitors and senior counsel.

Mike Pringle: The SPCB does not hold information in relation to the costs of investigations. With reference to legal costs, the SPCB is not in a position to apportion these costs to individual complaints.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the total costs were of investigations by the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner into complaints against Wendy Alexander MSP from October 2007 to August 2008.

Mike Pringle: : The Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner meets the cost of investigations, from his budget. Between October 2007 and August 2008, the commissioner spent £35,669 on legal advice. The SPCB is not in a position to apportion these costs to individual complaints.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the total costs, including legal costs, were of investigations by the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner into complaints against Wendy Alexander MSP from October 2007 to August 2008, broken down by complaint and including complaints that did not proceed beyond Stage 1.

Mike Pringle: The SPCB does not hold information in relation to the costs of investigations.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the legal costs of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner have been (a) in each year since appointment and (b) for the first three months of 2008-09; how these costs have been met, and what proportion of the Commissioner’s total costs relate to legal advice concerning individual complaints against members.

Mike Pringle: The Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s legal costs are met from his budget and are as set out in the table below including what the proportion is of these costs against his overall budget. The SPCB is not in a position to apportion these costs to advice concerning individual complaints against members or other more general legal advice

  (a) Since appointment on 1 April 2003

  

 
 Costs
 Budget
 % of budget


 2003-04
£10,595
£100,000
 10.6%


 2004-05
£26,667
£100,000
 26.67%


 2005-06
£6,794
£100,000
 6.8%


 2006-07
£11,468
£90,000
 12.7%


 2007-08
£22,012
£90,000
 24.46%



  (b) In the first three months of the financial year 2008-09, the Commissioner spent £16,772 on legal advice.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it decided to meet in full the legal costs of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

Mike Pringle: Under Schedule 1, paragraph 3 of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Act 2002, the commissioner may, with the approval of the SPCB, appoint any person to provide services by assisting or advising the commissioner in carrying out the commissioner’s functions and may pay such fees or allowances to that person as the commissioner may, with the like consent determine.

  Following a competitive tendering exercise undertaken by the commissioner, the SPCB approved the commissioner’s determination to appoint legal advisers on 16 September 2003. Subsequent tendering exercises have been undertaken as each contract term has expired.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, with reference to the statement in the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s annual report for 2006-07 that "significant one-off costs such as meeting the cost of a legal challenge will now be met from a central contingency fund in the SPCB budget rather than from the Commissioner’s budget", whether such a legal challenge has ever been brought against the commissioner.

Mike Pringle: Under Schedule 1 paragraph 5 of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Act 2002, the SPCB has a statutory duty to fund the Standards Commissioner. The SPCB has a similar duty to fund other officeholders such as the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman and the Scottish Information Commissioner.

  The officeholders’ central contingency fund was established by the SPCB to remove the need for each individual officeholder to have a built-in contingency in their individual budgets. The central contingency fund is for exceptional expenditure which cannot be met from the officeholder’s agreed budget allocation for any given year, such as a potential legal challenge in the courts in relation to a function exercised by the commissioner.

  The SPCB is not aware of any legal challenge having been brought against the commissioner and as such no application to use the central contingency fund has been made by the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, with reference to the statement in the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s annual report for 2006-07 that "significant one-off costs such as meeting the cost of a legal challenge will now be met from a central contingency fund in the SPCB budget rather than from the Commissioner’s budget", whether the SPCB untertook to cover from 2007-08 all legal costs incurred by the Commissioner, including advice concerning complaints against members and advice challenging advice already provided in writing by parliamentary officials.

Mike Pringle: The Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is expected to meet the costs for legal advice in undertaking his functions from his own budget.

  The officeholders’ central contingency fund was established by the SPCB to remove the need for each individual officeholder to have a built-in contingency in their individual budgets. The central contingency fund is for exceptional expenditure which cannot be met from the officeholder’s agreed budget allocation for any given year, such as a potential legal challenge in the courts in relation to a function exercised by the commissioner. The SPCB would consider an application from an officeholder to draw down from the contingency fund on a case-by-case basis.

  It is a matter for the commissioner to determine the nature of the advice he seeks from his legal advisers.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether prior to 2007-08 it covered any legal expenditure incurred by the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner in respect of complaints against individual members or incurred by the commissioner challenging advice provided by parliamentary officials.

Mike Pringle: All expenditure incurred on legal advice in respect of the functions of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner has been met by the commissioner from his budget.

  It is a matter for the commissioner to determine the nature of the advice he seeks from his legal advisers.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether, when it agreed to the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s request to meet "significant one-off costs such as meeting the cost of a legal challenge", it understood that it was agreeing to fund the costs of external senior counsels’ opinions reviewing advice given by parliamentary officials.

Mike Pringle: The Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Act 2002 provides that the SPCB shall pay any expenses incurred by the commissioner in the exercise of his functions. Part of this funding can be to meet the cost of legal advice. All legal advice taken by the commissioner is met from the commissioner’s budget.

  The SPCB is aware that it is a matter for the commissioner to determine the nature of the advice he seeks from his legal advisers.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how members can have faith in advice tendered by parliamentary officials, as stated by the Presiding Officer on 22 August 2008 in his letter to Jackie Baillie MSP, if the SPCB is simultaneously funding senior counsels’ opinions disputing that advice.

Mike Pringle: The SPCB intends to review matters arising from a recent complaint made against a member. It understands that the Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee will similarly review matters that fall within its interests.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether, when it undertook to meet the legal costs of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, it understood that some of that legal advice would involve cases against individual members and whether consideration was given to also extending or supporting legal advice to members at that time.

Mike Pringle: Under the provisions of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Act 2002, the commissioner may, with the consent of the SPCB, appoint advisers to assist him in the exercise of his functions. Any such costs are met out of the commissioner’s approved budget.

  The SPCB understood that some of the legal advice would involve cases against individual members given the nature of the commissioner’s functions but it did not, at that time, consider extending or supporting legal advice to members.

  The SPCB intends to review matters arising from recent complaints against members at its next meeting.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner

David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body on how many occasions the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner sought formal or informal external legal advice in relation to complaints involving Wendy Alexander MSP over the last year and what the costs were of such advice.

Mike Pringle: The SPCB does not hold this information. It is a matter for the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to determine when he needs legal advice and the nature of that advice.